Back from the game - Argyle

[juanpablo]

The more I read about Marek's performances the more I think a 3 man central midfield involving him, Harper and an enforcer (like Cisse or Gunnarsson) would be outstanding in this division. With quality wide forwards capable of scoring goals (SHunt, NHunt, Henry, Tabb and maybe Kebe) it shouldn't reduce our goal threat from reducing to only one striker.

Sadly the earliest we'll see it is next season.

lol at how highly you rate your own suggestion

[Ian Royal]

The more I read about Marek's performances the more I think a 3 man central midfield involving him, Harper and an enforcer (like Cisse or Gunnarsson) would be outstanding in this division. With quality wide forwards capable of scoring goals (SHunt, NHunt, Henry, Tabb and maybe Kebe) it shouldn't reduce our goal threat from reducing to only one striker.

Sadly the earliest we'll see it is next season.

lol at how highly you rate your own suggestion

Well I'm hardly likely to think it's bollocks the more Matejovsky seems to be getting it together.

[juanpablo]

The more I read about Marek's performances the more I think a 3 man central midfield involving him, Harper and an enforcer (like Cisse or Gunnarsson) would be outstanding in this division. With quality wide forwards capable of scoring goals (SHunt, NHunt, Henry, Tabb and maybe Kebe) it shouldn't reduce our goal threat from reducing to only one striker.

Sadly the earliest we'll see it is next season.

lol at how highly you rate your own suggestion

Well I'm hardly likely to think it's bollocks the more Matejovsky seems to be getting it together.

frankly i think its insane , wide forwards capable of scoring goals? I think we would score less than Birmingham if we set up like that. Both Hunts havent beat a player in weeks, henry isnt a trixster and tabb is untested, all you have is super Jim beating people.

Bikey in midfield deep with Marek infront thats my silly armchair formation of the month

[Ian Royal]

Except that Henry has a good scoring record as does SHunt. Tabb's career has seen quite a good scoring record as I recall and NHunt has shown he can score a fair few.

It's about a combination of being able to put in good crosses and tuck in supporting the lone forward.

It also allows us to counter 5 men midfields better so we don't get swamped. And attack through the middle using Marek's attacking passing. It gives us alternatives to down the wings.

Maybe Marek can surprise me and consistently pull off the attacking role we need without leaving us exposed in the middle with only one partner. I have my doubts.

I'm not just picking players I like and putting them in pretty patterns, it's carefully thought out.

[SteveRoyal]

I'm surprised that the striker everyone thought should go on loan, be sold and never return has been getting better reviews than our striker godchild.
I love hearing that our youngsters perform well - and you have to remember Shane Long is still classified as a youngster and has never really had a good run in the team.

[79Royal]

Except that Henry has a good scoring record as does SHunt. Tabb's career has seen quite a good scoring record as I recall and NHunt has shown he can score a fair few.

It's about a combination of being able to put in good crosses and tuck in supporting the lone forward.

It also allows us to counter 5 men midfields better so we don't get swamped. And attack through the middle using Marek's attacking passing. It gives us alternatives to down the wings.

Maybe Marek can surprise me and consistently pull off the attacking role we need without leaving us exposed in the middle with only one partner. I have my doubts.

I'm not just picking players I like and putting them in pretty patterns, it's carefully thought out.

I've wanted to see Marek properly protected for a while; when we've played him, we've not been so one dimensional. I think this formation would work, provided we don't end up in a flat 4-5-1 and stick to a 4-3-3. In the games against Brizzle and, I think, Preston we finished the game like this and were looking strong. I'd be happy to see this against Charlton, but I don't think it will happen.

[PieEater]

I can't decide if I'm gutted that we dropped two points, or grateful that we got back into it after going behind twice.

Plymouth were really not very good, and on another day we could have beaten them by some margin. There were at least 3 gilt edged chances we missed, with two of them falling to Doyle. Having said that it was quite scappy and there was a lot of hoofball and misplaced passes from us, we really didn't dominate any area.

Their first goal was a definite foul on Pearce, right in front of the lino. Their second was reminiscent of Bristol with Marek half chasing Mackie from the half way line only for him to score a screamer.

Quite pleased with Kebe's goal calm and well taken , strangely when Doyle was in the same position twice, he missed.

[T-Rex]

Reading are so lucky to have come away with a point.

And the support was embarrassing.

[Bristol Paul]

Reading are so lucky to have come away with a point.

And the support was embarrassing.

Sounds like you're the odd one out mate..........

[Mr Optimist]

Reading are so lucky to have come away with a point.

And the support was embarrassing.

But in your position you need to start picking up 3 points from your home games if you want to still be playing with the big boys like Reading again next season.

[Vicky Pollard]

first game in a while but backing up what most have said

weather poor 0/10

how anyone can say hunt had anything near a good game is beyond me, he didnt want to be there for most of the game, complete waste of space, maybe someone can ask him if he wants promotion?

matejovksy different class, yes he gave the ball away a fair few times but his vision is immense and we are so creative with him in the team

their second was a screamer federici no chance but we have to stop BACKING OFF!!

armstrong fantastic, great energy and commitment, have a word with hunty if you can. rosenior great too n love his passion, was so disappointed we hadnt won at the end

all in all shouldve won with the chances we had but will t ake a point having been behind twice

[IMAMATEOFJOVSKY]

Reading are so lucky to have come away with a point.

And the support was embarrassing.

But in your position you need to start picking up 3 points from your home games if you want to still be playing with the big boys like Reading again next season.

THEY WONT BE PLAYING READING NEXT SEASON!

[Mr Optimist]

I take your point but I suppose that is why I said "like" Reading. I like your positive thinking!

[Jerry St Clair]

The fun at the back of the stand was marred by pathetic stewarding. The guys at the back were doing nothing in particular other than one individual banging on the cladding at the back of the stand. The whole row was then asked to vacate the row (the excuse being it hadn't been sold!!), so all the support were told to leave. Fair enough at that point though the excuses by the Stewards were lame to say the least. Then two Safety Stewards arrived and walked down the row and started to manhandle one individual. One safety steward (2) was dealing with the issue fine, the other i caught swinging a punch at the young supporter. Out of order. I spoke to this steward who had the individual forcibly in an arm lock and informed him about proportionate levels of force.
No one on the back row was damaging property belonging to the club. I spoke to Steward 2 after five minutes and he agreed that if a punch was thrown i could put a compliant into PAFC. He informed me it was on CCTV so i'm thinking seriously about pushing this.

I was stood just along the row from you.

To be fair to the tango steward, he was reasonably amiable to begin with but pretty quickly lost patience with some of the abuse being hurled at him (a couple of the lads really were completely out of order, and I told them so). I thought the force used to remove them was proportionate, though I didn't see the whole incident.

Was good to have an area of, effectively, unallocated seating at the back where those of us who wanted to stand could without upsetting other people.

[AthleticoSpizz]

FWIW NOTW player ratings

Rosie 5

Feds, Stretch, Cisse, Long and Doobs all awarded 6

Doyler, SHunt, Kebe and Pearcey awarded 7's

Marek 9

(Harps & Bikey 6)

[Woodcote Royal]

The more I read about Marek's performances the more I think a 3 man central midfield involving him, Harper and an enforcer (like Cisse or Gunnarsson) would be outstanding in this division. With quality wide forwards capable of scoring goals (SHunt, NHunt, Henry, Tabb and maybe Kebe) it shouldn't reduce our goal threat from reducing to only one striker.

Sadly the earliest we'll see it is next season.

lol at how highly you rate your own suggestion

And LOL at your silly response to a perfectly reasonable suggestion.

Our biggest problem in recent weeks has been getting over run in midfield because so many of our opponents play 4-5-1 and, guess what? It happened AGAIN yesterday with YET ANOTHER player running right through our midfield before planting the ball in the top left hand corner

Had we played 3 central midfielders, I believe we would have won comfortably and Ian is spot in saying it's highly unlikely to happen before next season simply because that's the earliest Steve Coppell will leave.

We have the players, all we need now is to leave the tactics of the 90's where they belong................in the past.

There are many ways of achieving this but Doyle and Long showed that one of them on the wing, using his pace to get in the box when required, would be much better than playing both Kebe and Hunt, who have spent much of the last 2 months being double marked out of the game.

Argyle's first goal came from an outrageous push on Pearce. This went unnoticed by a yet another official who, demonstrated perfectly why the respect campaign is dead and buried until any respect becomes a 2 way street. Most of the referee's who grace our games these days are simply not good enough and I think the time has come for their performances to be no longer, in effect, self regulatory.

So, that's one goal down to the ref and yet another to the bankrupt tactics of our manager.

Meanwhile, Marek was having a Jekyll and Hyde afternoon, that could only have been helped by having Karacan or Gunnarsson doing some of the donkey work that is clearly not his forte. He made some nice passes, some of which were too high brow for his team mates but, also, too many that were either, over hit or, misplaced and it is wrong of others to make excuses for these errors.

Football is rapidly moving on from the "Two banks of Four" era that even modest teams in this division now expose as too predictable and relatively easy to counter. The soft centre of this team is there for all to see and once more it cost us a game we should have won........................time to move on with or without the current management.

I sat in front of two guys who spent most of the game slagging off Kebe, who then planted the ball in the back of the net with the same aplomb that Leroy Lita has achieved mostly in his dreams for the last 2 years.

That moment alone was worth the 400 mile drive and £26.00 to sit on a rain denched seat

[juanpablo]

The more I read about Marek's performances the more I think a 3 man central midfield involving him, Harper and an enforcer (like Cisse or Gunnarsson) would be outstanding in this division. With quality wide forwards capable of scoring goals (SHunt, NHunt, Henry, Tabb and maybe Kebe) it shouldn't reduce our goal threat from reducing to only one striker.

Sadly the earliest we'll see it is next season.

lol at how highly you rate your own suggestion

And LOL at your silly response to a perfectly reasonable suggestion.

Our biggest problem in recent weeks has been getting over run in midfield because so many of our opponents play 4-5-1 and, guess what? It happened AGAIN yesterday with YET ANOTHER player running right through our midfield before planting the ball in the top left hand corner

Had we played 3 central midfielders, I believe we would have won comfortably and Ian is spot in saying it's highly unlikely to happen before next season simply because that's the earliest Steve Coppell will leave.

We have the players, all we need now is to leave the tactics of the 90's where they belong................in the past.

There are many ways of achieving this but Doyle and Long showed that one of them on the wing, using his pace to get in the box when required, would be much better than playing both Kebe and Hunt, who have spent much of the last 2 months being double marked out of the game.

Argyle's first goal came from an outrageous push on Pearce. This went unnoticed by a yet another official who, demonstrated perfectly why the respect campaign is dead and buried until any respect becomes a 2 way street. Most of the referee's who grace our games these days are simply not good enough and I think the time has come for their performances to be no longer, in effect, self regulatory.

So, that's one goal down to the ref and yet another to the bankrupt tactics of our manager.

Meanwhile, Marek was having a Jekyll and Hyde afternoon, that could only have been helped by having Karacan or Gunnarsson doing some of the donkey work that is clearly not his forte. He made some nice passes, some of which were too high brow for his team mates but, also, too many that were either, over hit or, misplaced and it is wrong of others to make excuses for these errors.

Football is rapidly moving on from the "Two banks of Four" era that even modest teams in this division now expose as too predictable and relatively easy to counter. The soft centre of this team is there for all to see and once more it cost us a game we should have won........................time to move on with or without the current management.

I sat in front of two guys who spent most of the game slagging off Kebe, who then planted the ball in the back of the net with the same aplomb that Leroy Lita has achieved mostly in his dreams for the last 2 years.

That moment alone was worth the 400 mile drive and £26.00 to sit on a rain denched seat

i say stick you incharge, Coppell has played plenty of 5 man mids in his time. Perhaps there is a reason he isnt now?

honestly go buy football manager....Things sound ok in principle but we are talking about changing a complete system at this stage of the season, quite a gamble dont you think?


unlike Ian Royal i suppose atleast you can see you have actually seen the players live more than a handfull of times, credit you with making the journey

[Woodcote Royal]

So anyone who doesn't share your view, or that of a manager who has several relegation's as well as promotions on his CV, should go buy a game instead.

What a silly little man

[juanpablo]

So anyone who doesn't share your view, or that of a manager who has several relegation's as well as promotions on his CV, should go buy a game instead.

What a silly little man

Its not my view its the way people say things do xyz we would have won.... yeah right.. perhaps
anybody that wants to completely change a system this stage of the season is crazy imo , no offence but you always hear play xxx or yyy , come on now we are talking about pro players and coaches etc

perhaps your system would work better but its gotta rank as unlikely dont you think?

they would need time to adjust , players learn new roles etc

[Ian Royal]

So anyone who doesn't share your view, or that of a manager who has several relegation's as well as promotions on his CV, should go buy a game instead.

What a silly little man

Its not my view its the way people say things do xyz we would have won.... yeah right.. perhaps
anybody that wants to completely change a system this stage of the season is crazy imo , no offence but you always hear play xxx or yyy , come on now we are talking about pro players and coaches etc

perhaps your system would work better but its gotta rank as unlikely dont you think?

they would need time to adjust , players learn new roles etc

Except it's a style we have tried, or gone similar to late in games on a number of occasions, works to our strengths, generally keeps our overall style and I certainly wouldn't suggest playing it without actually putting the players through traiing sessions centred on playing it for a week or two.

LOL @ you getting narky because I don't go to every game. It' not like anything I've said is unreasonable, or like I've said it's a miracle cure that will win us every game.